Application for Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund Grant

Welcome to the full grant application for the Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund. The full grant application is for requests between $5,001 and $50,000.

If you are looking for the micro grant application ($5,000 or less) click here. An entity may only apply to either the micro or the full application, not both.

Applications must be completed and submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Sunday, May 31. Applications submitted after the deadline or that are incomplete (i.e., missing required uploads) will not be considered.

All applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered equally. There is no benefit to rushing an application. We encourage applicants to take their time to ensure a complete and well supported request.

Before you begin:

A copy of the entire application is available here as a PDF and here as a Word doc if you wish to preview the application questions and prepare your responses before starting the application. (Note: you can only submit the application via this online form; these copies are just to help you prepare your responses and write content that you can paste into the online form).

Once you get started, you will be able to save the application and continue later if you need to.

Any additional documentation needed to substantiate your percentage (%) decline in revenue due to COVID-19

Documentation to substantiate the percentage (%) of your business revenue that comes from tourists.

A copy of your North Carolina driver's license, or other government-issued photo ID

When you complete and submit the application, you will receive a copy of the application via email as a confirmation it was submitted.

If you run into any problems with the application, please check the FAQs and documentation at the Fund website, http://tourismfund.org. You can also schedule an appointment with a technical assistance provider through that site.

A final note: both businesses and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for these grants. In order to save space and simplify the form, we use the word "business" throughout this application to signify both nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

Thank you for the important work you do in the community and we look forward to receiving your full grant request to the Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund.

1. Eligibility Certifications

Please carefully read and answer the following certifications, to ensure that you are eligible to receive grant funding. You must be able to accurately answer "yes" for all of the following certifications in this section to be eligible.

My business provides a direct, in-person service and/or tourist experience to visitors in Buncombe County, and has been doing so since at least Dec 31, 2019
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Yes No

My business does not provide lodging, in whole or in part.
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Yes, my business does NOT provide lodging. No

20% or more of my business's annual revenue comes from tourists.
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Yes No

As of March 10, 2020 my business had between 2 and 200 full-time equivalent employees.
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Yes No

My business has a physical location in Buncombe County or otherwise provides direct tourist services within Buncombe County
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Yes No

I understand that if I receive an award, my business name, award amount, and number of jobs supported will be publicly announced, and I agree to this disclosure. All other information will be kept strictly confidential.
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Yes No

If awarded, I agree to report on the uses of funds and outcomes 6 months and one year after receiving award
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Yes No

I understand and agree that funds may only be used for operating costs and expenses incurred in reopening or otherwise safely resuming normal operations of my business and hiring employees in Buncombe County.
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Yes No

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

2. Individual Applicant (Authorized Representative)

Please provide us with the following information about the person who is authorized to fill out and submit this form.

Name
*

First Name Last Name

Title
*

Email
*

example@example.com

Phone Number
*

Gender
*

Race/Ethnicity
*

Current Military Status
*

Primary Language
*

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

3. Business/Organization Information

NOTE: you must use the "back" and "next" buttons provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

Business Name
*

Please include DBA if applicable

Please provide a short description of your business or organization (max 250 characters)
*

0/250

Website
*

Date of Incorporation
*

-
Month
-
Day Year

Date

Business or Organization Tax ID or EIN
*

Legal Status of Business/Organization
*

Business Mailing Address
*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

City State

Zip Code Country

Business County

Physical Address is Same as Mailing Address

Business Physical Address (if different from mailing address)

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

City State

Zip Code Country

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

4. Funding Request

How much are you requesting from the Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund? Funding requests should be based on your projected re-opening costs, which should be documented using the Budget Form.

Application Budget Form Template: Excel Spreadsheet | Google Sheet (please fill out with your own info; for Google Sheet, you'll need to make a copy in order to fill it out)

Funding Amount Requested
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Please enter only numerical values. If your grant request is $5,000 or less, you will need to fill out a Micro Grant application instead - https://form.jotform.com/MtnBiz/micro-grant-tourism-fund

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

C) In 2019 what estimated percentage of your annual revenue was derived from tourism?
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In the Required Uploads section of the form, we require you provide backup documentation of this estimate. Given the diversity of business types that will be applying, we are flexible as to what type of documentation you provide. Some businesses will have customer data (e.g., ZIP code data from a point of sale system) that can clearly show their tourism impact. Other businesses may have to rely more on best faith assumptions. Please just do your best to show how you arrived at the provided estimate; this could include a written statement describing your calculation.

D) Describe how your business is reliant on tourism to operate (Max 600 characters)
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0/600

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

6. Financials & COVID Impact

A) What were your 2019 Annual Gross Revenues?
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B) What were your 2019 Annual Net Profits?
*

C) Approximately what percentage (%) of revenue decline has your business sustained due to COVID-19?
*

D) Describe how COVID-19 has negatively affected your business including the revenue loss stated above and any necessitated changes in operations. (Max 600 characters)
*

0/600

E) If you have applied for other disaster funding, please note any funding requests you've submitted and the status or result of these applications (Max 300 characters)

0/300

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

7. Re-Opening

A. Please use the questions below to outline your plan to safely reopen your business, and remain financially viable for at least one year

A1. At a high level, describe your plan for reopening your business and/or resuming normal (new-normal) operations; please include timeline and phasing details as relevant, based on current information and knowledge available (Max 500 characters)
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0/500

A2. Describe any measures you’ve taken or will need to take to ensure the business remains financially viable for at least one year (Max 250 characters)
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0/250

A3. Will you have to adapt your products, services, or operations to carry out this plan? If yes, please describe in what ways. (Max 250 characters)
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0/250

A4. What safety-related changes or expenses will be needed for your business to reopen? I.e. equipment, supplies, minor renovations, changes to staffing or operating procedures, etc. (Max 250 characters)
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0/250

A5. (Optional) What additional needs and support (besides funding) do you think you’ll have for re-opening safely and sustainably? (Max 250 characters)

0/250

B. Total Projected Reopening Costs
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This should correlate with your projected reopening cost amount in your uploaded budget form document

D. If your grant request was not fully funded, could you still move forward with reopening your business? (Max 600 characters)
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0/600

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

8. Impact on Jobs

A key part of the program is helping to retain and recover tourism jobs in Buncombe County. To fully understand potential job impacts, we need to understand your estimated pre-pandemic, current, and post-pandemic job levels.

A. How many Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees* did your business have as of NC’s COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration on March 10, 2020?
*

B. How many FTE employees do you currently have (as of May 1, 2020)?
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C. If awarded, how many FTEs do you anticipate having one year from now? (On June 30, 2021)
*

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

9. Local & Independent; Leadership Information

It is not required that your business is independent; however, preference will be given to applications from local and independent businesses.

A. Is your business locally-owned? I.e. 50% of owners (by controlling interest) or 50% of board members live in Buncombe County or one of the surrounding counties
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Yes No

B. Is your business a franchise?
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Yes No

C. Ownership details: If a for-profit entity: please list all individuals with a 20% or greater ownership stake in the company. If a non-profit entity: please list all board members. Include Name, ownership percentage, and city and state of primary residence.
*

For non-profits, no ownership percentage, so: John Doe, Weaverville, NC

D. Is the business minority-led (50% or more of the owners or directors identify as persons of color)?
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Yes No

E. Is the business woman-led (50% or more of the owners or directors identify as women)?
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Yes No

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

10. Required Uploads

The following documents are needed to substantiate your application and request.

Application Budget Form Template: Excel Spreadsheet | Google Sheet (please fill out with your own info; for Google Sheet, you'll need to make a copy in order to fill it out)

Most Recent Year Your Business Filed a Federal Tax Return
*

2019 2018 Don't have a prior return (started business in 2019 and have yet to file)

Documentation to substantiate the percentage of your business that is supported by tourists
*

Browse Files

Given the diversity of business types that will be applying, we are flexible as to what type of documentation you provide. Some businesses will have customer data (e.g., ZIP code data from a point of sale system) that can clearly show their tourism impact. Other businesses may have to rely more on best faith assumptions. Please just do your best to show how you arrived at the provided estimate; this could include a written statement describing your calculation.
Cancel
of

Re-Opening Budget Form (please use/fill out form provided)
*

Browse Files

Cancel
of

Copy of NC Driver’s License or other government-issued photo ID
*

Browse Files

Cancel
of

NOTE: you must use the "back" button provided in the form in order to navigate around the form. Pressing the "back" button in your browser may result in you losing your data if you have not yet saved it.

Certifications of Accuracy and Signing of Application Form

A. Anything else you would like to share? (max 250 characters)

0/250

I certify that all of the information submitted in this application is valid, accurate and complete. A photographic or facsimile copy of this authorization may be deemed to be equivalent of the original.